You sit back and dream and wish and hope for so long, you wonder if you are really in your right mind or not. Back in '94 Lou and I would sit in the cockpit of our Macgregor 26 while parked in the driveway of our home in Midland, Tx and go "cockpit sailing". We would enjoy a 'rita or cold something and talk about wouldn't it be great "if"! "If" we lived on the water back on the coast (Midland is in the middle of the west Texas desert) and our boat was docked at our house it would be so easy to just walk outside, climb on the boat, and go sailing! "If" we get these kids raised and save enough money we might get to build this on-the-water house just like we want. Well its amazing how fast time flies (only 16 years, but who's counting), the kids got raised, we moved to Galveston, bought a waterfront lot and built that house. The Macgregor transitioned to a ComPac 19, then a San Juan 23 on up to "Miss Guided" the Hunter28.5 that Hurricane Ike left on her keel on our bulkhead with the spreaders leaning on the roof. We didn't dream about that part! The local Sea Scout Troop bought her from the insurance company and we found another Hunter 28.5 as a replacement. "Barquita", our loose spanish word creation meaning small female boat, serves us well in these two years since Ike. The power of dreams is an amazing thing.

Now they have begun once again as we sail Barquita offshore of Galveston and begin to push the envelope of our sailing skills. We sail under the stars at night and dream of a bigger boat and waking up every day to plan where we will sail next. "If" we sell the house what boat would we buy? And so it began. Weekend trips up to Kemah to harass Carolyn, our favorite yacht salesperson, to "kick fenders" as she puts it and weigh the pros and cons of a Morga-lina versus a IP or PS. Then thinking of Cats and reading and researching and "if" we got TOP dollar for the house would we buy a cat? "If" turns to lets do it and OMG we have to do this to the house and that to the house before we can put it on the market! But the "what boat" question keeps popping up in the evening cocktail sessions on the west facing deck of the house as we relax and enjoy living on the water. "I will really miss our beautiful home and these gorgeous sunsets", Lou says and I counter with "but these sunsets on the boat will be even better in the Keys and the Bahamas!"